Ridgefield students delve into human nature

Ridgefield — Ridgefield High School students learned the ins and outs of right and wrong during recent lessons in philosophy, perceptions of morality and the nature of humanity. Language arts teacher Jill Uhacz led the “Images of Man” lessons over recent weeks, where teens wrote essays on their understanding of humanity, analyzed works such as “Lord of the Flies,” and took part in activities including a simulated nuclear disaster where they decided who would be kicked out of a crowded bomb shelter. Uhacz said in a press release that she got the lesson idea from another teacher at a different school. “The classes this year generally seemed to believe that man is a blank slate with no instinctual moral compass,” she said. “That being said, a few students suggested that we all do have a conscience, which led to spirited debate.”